Disposable cleaning articles

ABSTRACT

A mop head made from a plurality of fibers of polyvinyl alcohol that are only water soluble at temperatures above 37 DEG  C., where the fibers are formed into a mop head. A disposable cleaning rag made from at least one layer of a plurality of fibers of polyvinyl alcohol that are only water soluble at temperatures above 37 DEG  C., wherein the fibers are formed into a disposable cleaning rag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the medical and cleaning productfields. In particular, the present invention provides a disposablearticle, such as a mop head or a rag, which may be disposed of after useand methods for the use and disposal of the articles.

2. Background

Hospital patient care generates considerable quantities of infectiousmedical waste in primary and acute care facilities. There has been ageneral conversion from reusable, cleanable items, to disposable itemsover the last three decades. These conversions were made to promoteantiseptic techniques in patient care and to decrease the potential forcross-infections between patients, staff and the general public. Recentfederal and state government regulations such as the Medical WasteTracking Act of 1988 and OSHA Medical Facility rules have resulted in asubstantial increase in medical waste that must be classified as"infectious."

When a patient is admitted to a hospital, the patient producesapproximately 55 pounds of medical waste per day. Approximately 20% ofthis waste is infectious. The current stated objective of the AmericanHospital Association and the Centers for Disease Control is to treatmedical waste as soon as it is generated. Both organizations recognizethat medical waste is primarily an occupational hazard for health careworkers and not an environmental problem. The best way to handleinfectious medical waste is to disinfect it at the point of generationand dispose of the treated medical waste with minimum on premiseshandling and storage. The need for an effective way to dispose ofmedical waste has been highlighted by the amendment made to 29 C.F.R.1910.1030 which provides for the federal regulation under theOccupational Safety And Health Act, 29 U.S.C. 655, 657 to controlbloodborne pathogens. Specifically, the Act calls for the establishmentof an exposure control plan, the containment of specimens of blood orother potentially infectious materials and the general tightening ofprecautionary measures to minimize the spread of disease. A safe andeffective way to dispose of hospital waste would greatly facilitatecompliance with the above-referenced Act.

As a result, consumption of medical disposable woven or non-wovenproducts has been growing at a rate of approximately 10% a year. In1988, sales totaled approximately 1.155 Billion Dollars. It is projectedthat as of the end of 1996, sales of medical disposable non-wovenproducts will have exceeded two and a half billion dollars. In theUnited States, there are at least 30 million surgical proceduresperformed each year. After each surgical procedure, it is necessary thatthe operating theater be disinfected before a new procedure is performedto minimize any exposure the patients may bring to other patients orstaff. This is particularly important in light of today's increasinglystringent regulations regarding occupational exposure to blood andbodily fluids.

One of the most basic operations that is performed in the surgicaltheater as well as in the clinical environment, generally, is themopping of floors. Fundamentally, cleaning a floor is perhaps one of themost hazardous duties in the hospital because likely infectious materialwill reside in the floor in the form of spills, splashes, drips orgeneral runoff of potentially hazardous fluids such as blood, bodilyliquids and irrigation products which are presently involved invirtually all operating procedures. Currently, floors are cleaned byemploying conventional tools such as mops. It is a common practice intoday's surgical venues or hospitals' surgical centers that conventionalmops are used once and either disposed of via landfill or incinerationor are washed, dried, sterilized and reused. It is practicallyimpossible to clean a used mop head to remove all of the pathogens,infectious materials, needles, and other sharp objects that are caughtin the interstices of the yarn constituting the mop itself. Cleaning themop leads to considerable opportunity for additional hazardous exposureto people that are employed to clean the mops after they are used.Furthermore, conventional mops, when disposed of either through landfillor incineration, provide ample opportunity for reinfection.

In addition, the use of hand-held cleaning articles, such as ragspresents a similar, if not heightened danger to the person using therag.

Thus, there exists a need for a suitable cleaning article, such as a mophead or a rag, capable of being disposed of after use while avoidingadditional burdens being placed upon landfills and other disposal sites.There is also a need to provide a disposable cleaning article, such as amop head or a rag, which, after use, can be solubilized andsubstantially sterilized in a single operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To fulfill these needs, the present invention provides a mop head orcleaning rag comprising a plurality of fibers comprised of polyvinylalcohol that are only water soluble at temperatures above about 37° C.

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a mop head orcleaning rag comprising a plurality of fibers comprising crystallizedpolyvinyl alcohol that is water soluble at temperatures only above about37° C., wherein the polyvinyl alcohol fibers are produced by dopeextrusion and treatment with heat and stretching of a greater than 98%saponified polyvinyl acetate and the degree of polymerization for thefibers is from about 1300 to about 2000.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a mop head orcleaning rag comprising a plurality of fibers comprising crystallizedpolyvinyl alcohol that is water soluble at temperatures only above about37° C., an effective amount of an anti-blocking agent, and an effectivemount of a wetting agent, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol fibers areproduced by dope extrusion and treatment with heat and stretching of agreater than 98% saponified polyvinyl acetate and the degree ofpolymerization for the fibers is from about 1300 to about 2000.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a mop head orcleaning rag comprising a plurality of fibers comprising crystallizedpolyvinyl alcohol that is water soluble at temperatures only above about37° C., an effective amount of an anti-blocking agent, and an effectiveamount of a wetting agent.

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a method ofdisposing of a mop head or cleaning rag comprised of a plurality offibers comprised of polyvinyl alcohol that are only water soluble attemperatures above about 37° C., the method comprising contacting themop head with water having a temperature above about 37° C. for a periodof time sufficient to dissolve the mop head in the water.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a disposablecleaning rag comprising at least one layer of a plurality of fiberscomprised of polyvinyl alcohol that are only water soluble attemperatures above about 37° C.

Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theadvantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means ofthe elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing generaldescription and the following detailed description are exemplary andexplanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to thefollowing detailed description of preferred embodiments of theinvention.

Before the present articles and methods are disclosed and described, itis to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purposeof describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" include pluralreferents unless the context deafly dictates otherwise.

Throughout this application, where publications are referenced, thedisclosures of these publications in their entireties are herebyincorporated by reference into this application in order to more fullydescribe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

The present invention fulfills these needs by providing a disposablecleaning article, such as a mop head or a rag, and its method ofdisposal after use. The article is made up from a fabric that iscomprised of fibers of polyvinyl alcohol which are water soluble attemperatures above approximately about 37° C., preferably above about50° C., more preferably above about 70° C., and even more preferablyabove about 90° C. For articles having dissolution temperatures of 70°C. to 90° C. and above, the polyvinyl alcohol fibers are produced by aprocess of dope extrusion (also referred to as "wet spinning", "solutionspinning" or "wet/solution spinning") and then treated with heat andstretching. Alternatively, such articles may be produced by meltspinning or hydrogel spinning followed by heating and stretching. Forarticles having dissolution temperatures of from about 37° C. to 70° C.,the fibers are produced by either melt spinning or hydrogel spinningfollowed by heating and stretching as described herein. Preferredarticles are mop heads and cleaning rags.

In particular, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a mophead comprising a plurality of fibers comprised of polyvinyl alcoholthat are only water soluble at temperatures above about 37° C., whereinthe fibers are formed into a mop head. In a further embodiment, thepolyvinyl alcohol comprises crystallized polyvinyl alcohol. In yetanother embodiment, the fibers are produced by dope extrusion andtreatment with heat and stretching. In an alternate embodiment, thefibers are produced by melt extrusion (or "melt spinning") and treatmentwith heat and stretching. In yet another alternate embodiment, thefibers are produced by hydrogel extrusion (or "hydrogel extrusion") andtreatment with heat and stretching

In a further embodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol is a produced from agreater than 80% saponified polyvinyl acetate. In yet anotherembodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol is a produced from a greater than 98%saponified polyvinyl acetate. In a further embodiment, the polyvinylalcohol is a produced from a greater than 99% saponified polyvinylacetate.

In an alternate embodiment of the mop head, the degree of polymerizationof the fibers is from about 300 to about 3000. In a further embodiment,the degree of polymerization of the fibers is from about 700 to about2000. In yet another further embodiment, the degree of polymerization ofthe fibers is from about 1300 to about 2000.

Moreover, the present invention provides the mop head as described abovewherein the water content of the fibers is maintained at from about 1.5to about 15.0% by weight.

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a mop head asdescribed above further comprising from about 0.1 to about 5.0% byweight of an anti-blocking agent. In another embodiment, the presentinvention provides a mop head as described above wherein the fibers areyarn spun, thermally bonded, chemically bonded, needle punched, wet laidor air laid. In a further embodiment, the fibers form a fabric of fromabout 15 g/yd² to about 100 g/yd² in weight. In yet another embodiment,the fibers form a fabric comprising from about 10 to about 50 layersaffixed to one another along the approximate mid-section of the fabricperpendicular to at least one border thereof. In a further embodiment,the layers are cut to length on each side of said mid-section. In yetanother embodiment, the layers are cut to about 1" in length and fromabout 1/4" to about 1" in width.

In an alternate embodiment, the present invention provides theabove-described mop head, further comprising from about 0.1 to about2.0% by weight of a wetting agent.

In a further embodiment of the mop head, the polyvinyl alcohol has adegree of crystallinity of at least about 0.20. In a further embodiment,the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of crystallinity of at least about0.40. In yet a further embodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree ofcrystallinity of at least about 0.70. Moreover, in a further embodiment,the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of orientation of at least about0.20. In a further embodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree oforientation of at least about 0.40. In yet a further embodiment, thepolyvinyl alcohol has a degree of orientation of at least about 0.50.

In yet a further embodiment of the mop head, the polyvinyl alcohol isonly water soluble at temperatures above about 50° C. In anotherpreferable embodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol is only water soluble attemperatures above about 70° C. In a more preferably embodiment, thepolyvinyl alcohol is only water soluble at temperatures above about 90°C.

In an alternate embodiment, the present invention provides a mop headcomprising a plurality of fibers comprising crystallized polyvinylalcohol that is water soluble at temperatures only above about 37° C.,wherein the fibers are formed into a mop head and wherein the polyvinylalcohol fibers are produced by dope extrusion and treatment with heatand stretching of a greater than 98% saponified polyvinyl acetate andthe degree of polymerization for the fibers is from about 1300 to about2000.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a mop headcomprising a plurality of fibers comprising crystallized polyvinylalcohol that is water soluble at temperatures only above about 37° C.,wherein the fibers are formed into a mop head, an effective amount of ananti-blocking agent, and an effective amount of a wetting agent, whereinthe polyvinyl alcohol fibers are produced by dope extrusion andtreatment with heat and stretching of a greater than 98% saponifiedpolyvinyl acetate and the degree of polymerization for the fibers isfrom about 1300 to about 2000.

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a mop headcomprising a plurality of fibers comprising crystallized polyvinylalcohol that is water soluble at temperatures only above about 37° C.,wherein the fibers are formed into a mop head, an effective amount of ananti-blocking agent, and an effective amount of a wetting agent. In analternate preferred embodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol fibers areproduced by dope extrusion and treatment with heat and stretching of agreater than 98% saponified polyvinyl acetate. In yet another alternateembodiment, the degree of polymerization for the fibers is from about1300 to about 2000. In yet another embodiment, the water content of thefibers is maintained at from about 1.5 to about 15.0% by weight.

In addition, the present invention provides a method of disposing of amop head comprised of a plurality of fibers comprised of polyvinylalcohol that are only water soluble at temperatures above about 37° C.,the method comprising contacting the mop head with water having atemperature above about 37° C. for a period of time sufficient todissolve the mop head in the water.

Finally, the present invention also provides a disposable cleaning ragcomprising at least one layer of a plurality of fibers comprised ofpolyvinyl alcohol that are only water soluble at temperatures aboveabout 37° C. It must be emphasized that the degree of crystallinity,degree of orientation, degree of polymerization, water content,dissolution temperature, inclusion of additional ingredients such aswetting or anti-blocking agents, processing steps, disposal steps andall other parameters for the rag, and the fibers that make up the rag,may be the same or may be varied just as with the mop head describedabove and elsewhere herein.

The fibers may be prepared by wet/solution spinning ("dope extrusion"),melt spinning or hydrogel spinning. The particular process used dependsupon the desired dissolution temperature of the polyvinyl alcoholfibers. For instance, producing fibers having dissolution temperature of70° C. and above is preferably accomplished by using a hydrolyzedpolyvinyl acetate with a percentage of hydrolysis of at least about 98%and is preferably accomplished using any of the three processes listedabove. Alternatively, producing fibers having dissolution temperaturesof from about 37° C. to about 70° C. is preferably accomplished by usinga hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate with a percentage of hydrolysis of atleast about 80% to about 98% and is preferably accomplished using themelt spinning or the hydrogel spinning process. In one embodiment,postdrawing and heat annealing may be used to increase the degrees ofcrystallization and orientation of the polyvinyl alcohol, resulting inan increased dissolution temperature for the end-product polyvinylalcohol fibers.

Polyvinyl alcohol fibers having a solubilization temperature of about93° C. are preferred for hot water solubility applications. Such fibersare commercially available (Japan Kurary, "vinylon" product) or may bemade using the following process.

In a preferred embodiment, polyvinyl alcohol fibers soluble at from 70°C. to about 93° C. (or higher) are prepared by dope extrusion asfollows. Raw polyvinyl alcohol is washed in deionized water severaltimes. The polyvinyl alcohol is then dissolved in hot water ofapproximately 100° C. to make a polyvinyl alcohol solution of from about10 to about 25% concentration. The solution is preferably filtered anddegassed.

The filtered and degassed solution is pumped through fine holes of aspinneret and into a supersaturated Na₂ SO₄ solution (Glauber's salt) isat 40° C. to about 50° C. For improving the fiber strength, a suitablestretching treatment is given prior to heat treatment. For instance, thefilament can be wet drawn to about 2.4 times its original length in afurther supersaturated Na₂ SO₄ solution. The filament is then dried anddrawn again to a total stretching of about 3 times (for solubilitycloser to 70° C.) to 6 times (for solubility closer to 90° C.) itsoriginal length, with heating at from 200° to about 250° C., preferablyat about 220° C. At this point, the filaments are cut to length, crimpedin a 70° C. supersaturated Na₂ SO₄ solution and washed in roomtemperature deionized water. The resulting filament is then furtherprocessed in an oiling step where surfactants such as lubricants,antistatic agents and cohesion agents are added. Finally, the fibers aretumble dried, in air, until thoroughly dry. These fibers are thenoptionally wound for subsequent use in manufacturing the articles of thepresent invention, including the mop heads and rags.

For the purposes of the present invention, suitable antistatic agentsare any known in the art that can be used with polyvinyl alcohol fibers.They include, but are not limited to, a mixture of polyethylene oxide(POE) alkylethersulfate sodium RO(CH₂ CH₂ O)_(n) SO₃ Na! andalkylphosphate potassium: (RO)₂ P(O)(OK)! or (RO)P(O)(OK)₂ !. Moreover,for the present invention, suitable cohesion agents are any known in theart that can be used with polyvinyl alcohol fibers and include, but arenot limited to, POE Alkylether. Finally, suitable antifriction("lubricants") agents include any known in the art that can be used withpolyvinyl alcohol fibers, such as, but not limited to, glycerylstearate: C₁₇ H₃₅ C(O)OCH₂ C(H)(OH)CH₂ OH. Thus, the oiling step can usea finishing agent made from the lubricant, cohesion, and antistaticagents. For example, the agents can be used in an 80% antistatic, 10%antifriction, and 10% cohesion mixture which may be diluted in water toabout 50/50. This mixture can then be used to produce an about 0.21%final finishing level.

It should be noted that the water dissolution temperature of polyvinylalcohol ("PVA") fibers is increased by the heat treatment, so long asthe original hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate possesses a sufficientpercentage of hydrolysis. Thus, hot water insolubility of over 90° C.calls for the use of greater than 98% hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate.However, lower solubility temperatures can be achieved with lowerhydrolysis percentages, i.e. closer to 80% hydrolysis as specifiedelsewhere herein. As such, the polyvinyl alcohol fibers will notdissolve at room temperature but will in water at temperatures higherthan 37° C., preferably 70° C., more preferably 80° C., more preferablystill 90° C., and even more preferably 93° C.

In an alternate embodiment, polyvinyl alcohol fibers soluble at from 37°C. to about 70° C. are prepared by melt spinning as follows. For meltspinning, the polyvinyl alcohol is mixed with a plasticizer, such asglycerine polyglycol. Then, at a temperature of between about 190° toabout 220° C., the mixture is melted, mixed and spun through aspinneret. Heating and stretching occurs as described above for the wetspinning process. The polyvinyl alcohol for this melt spinning processis preferably produced from a 80-98% saponified polyvinyl acetate, so asto ensure solubility of between 37° C. and 70° C.

In a further alternate embodiment, polyvinyl alcohol fibers soluble atfrom 37° C. to about 70° C. are prepared by hydrogel spinning asfollows. For hydrogel spinning, the polyvinyl alcohol is mixed withwater. Then, at a temperature of between about 90° to about 100° C., themixture is melted and spun through a spinneret. Heating and stretchingoccurs as described above for the wet spinning process. The polyvinylalcohol for this hydrogel spinning process is preferably produced from a80-98% saponified polyvinyl acetate, so as to ensure solubility ofbetween 37° C. and 70° C.

The polyvinyl alcohol useful for the present invention is preferably ofa crystallized nature. In one embodiment, the degree of crystallinity isat least 0.20, in another embodiment at least 0.25, in anotherembodiment at least 0.30, in another embodiment at least 0.35, inanother embodiment at least 0.40, in another embodiment at least 0.50,in another embodiment at least 0.60, in another embodiment at least0.70, in another embodiment at least 0.80, in another embodiment atleast 0.90, and in another embodiment at least 0.95. In a furtherembodiment, the degree of orientation for the heated and stretchedpolyvinyl alcohol fibers is at least 0.20, in another embodiment atleast 0.40, in another embodiment at least 0.50, in another embodimentat least 0.60, in another embodiment at least 0.70, in anotherembodiment at least 0.80, in another embodiment at least 0.90, and inanother embodiment at least 0.95. The degree of crystallinity and thedegree of orientation are measured by IR spectroscopy. The degree ofcrystallinity is the ratio of crystalline area to amorphous area. Thedegree of orientation is the ratio of non-oriented area to oriented.

The water content of polyvinyl alcohol fiber is preferably kept at avalue between approximately 1.5 to 15.0% (wt.), preferably 5% (wt.). Thepolyvinyl alcohol is further characterized as having a degree ofpolymerization between approximately 300 to 3000, preferably of from 700to 2000, more preferably from about 1300 to about 2000, and mostpreferably about 1700. In an alternate preferred embodiment, to achievehot water solubility of closer to 70° C., it is desirable to usepolyvinyl alcohol characterized as having a degree of polymerization ofbelow about 1000.

In addition, the polyvinyl alcohol is produced from greater than atleast about 80%, more preferably at least about 90%, even morepreferably at least about 95%, even more preferably at least about 98%,even more preferably 99%, and even more preferably 99.5% or greatersaponified polyvinyl acetate.

As noted, in one preferred embodiment, the present invention provides anovel mop head and its method of disposal for use primarily in themedical industry in hospitals, out-patient facilities and homeenvironments. At such facilities, mop heads generally come into contactwith human bodily fluids such that disposal and disinfection has becomea matter of major concern in light of the lack of biodegradability ofprior products and the potential spread of human fluid-borne diseasessuch as hepatitis B and AIDS. In order to cope with these difficulties,it is proposed that suitable mop heads be composed of fabric producedfrom fibers comprising polyvinyl alcohol which water soluble attemperatures preferably above 37° C., and more preferably above 50° C.If the mop heads were soluble at significantly lower temperatures (e.g.,below 37° C.), inadvertent solubilization would occur in the event thatthe mop heads were to contact certain fluids near or just above roomtemperature, such as recently spilled human blood or urine. Polyvinylalcohol which dissolves only at higher temperatures such as above 37°C., more preferably 50° C., even more preferably above 70° C., and evenmore preferably above 90° C. prevents inadvertent solubilization andprovides a preferable material for practicing the present invention. Infact, it is contemplated that disposal in a hot water bath, such as awashing machine at or near the boiling point of water dedicated solelyto solubilizing mop heads or other similar films, fibers and garments,would also be an effective disinfecting media. However, lowertemperature disinfecting media are specifically contemplated so long astheir temperature is above the dissolution temperature of the polyvinylalcohol fibers. Two objectives would thus be accomplished, namely, thatthe polymer would be both disinfected and would also be solubilized fordisposal through the sewer system. Not only would this lessen the burdennow being imposed upon current landfill sites, but liquid sewer disposalwould prove a comparative low cost technique in ridding the user ofsoiled mop heads.

Conventional mop heads are generally made from cotton or cellulosicfiber. Yarn sizes are generally 1 cotton count to 0.1 cotton count andare generally present in the form of multiple plies, such as 2-ply,3-ply or 4-ply. A typical cotton count would be 0.7/4-ply yarn. Theseyarns are bundled together in parallel and formed into a mop head bysewing a binding along the mid-portion of the mop head perpendicular tothe threads. Cotton mop heads are generally made from waste fiber,whereas rayon mop heads are generally made from virgin fiber. Thetypical mop weighs from about 16 to about 24 ounces.

Mop heads of the present invention can be made from fabrics which are inturn created from fibers of polyvinyl alcohol. The fabric, comprised ofpolyvinyl homopolymer, has been, in one embodiment, crystallized bypostdrawing or by heat annealing or by both postdrawing and heatannealing. Preferable for use in the present invention would be acrystallized, greater than 99% saponified polyvinyl acetate. However, asspecified elsewhere herein, other degrees of saponification andcrystallization may be involved in providing an operable polyvinylalcohol fiber to suit the desired purpose.

The mop head fabric can be configured from conventional spun yarn.However, it is preferable to process the fiber into a thermal bond,chemical bond, needle punch, wet laid, air laid or other non-wovenfabric. Such processing can be accomplished using tools, methods andprocedures familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art of textilemanufacturing. The preferred weight of fabric for a mop head is between15 g/yd² and 100 g/yd² which has been formed from approximately 10 and50 layers which are affixed along their midsection of the fabricperpendicular to at least one border thereof either by stapling, sewingor otherwise combining the layers together. The fabric layers can thenbe cut on each side to within an inch or so of their sewn togethermid-section to form tendrils that are from 1/4" wide to 1" wide.Typically, a 6" wide mop head would have a nominal length of 16" with 30layers of fabric producing numerous tendrils.

In an alternate embodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol is used to create acleaning rag suitable for the same hazardous environments as describedabove. The rag is created from similar fibers as described for the mophead. However, it is contemplated that the rag is formed from asufficient number of layers of the bonded, non-woven fabric to provide asuitable rag. The layers are bonded or sewn together to form thefinished rag. In a preferred embodiment, the rag is produced from fabrichaving a weight of between 15 g/yd² and 200 g/yd².

Optionally, in a further preferred embodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol cancontain from between approximately 0.1 to 5.0% (wt.), most preferablybetween 2 to 3% (wt.) based upon the weight of the polyvinyl alcohol, ofan anti-blocking agent and/or 0.1 to 2.0% (wt.) of wetting agent basedupon the weight of the polyvinyl alcohol polymer. Suitable wettingagents and blocking agents are any known in the art that can be usedwith polyvinyl alcohol fibers. The anti-blocking agent is used tofurther enhance the usability of polyvinyl alcohol in producing thepresent mop head or rag. In particular, it is contemplated that theanti-blocking agent reduces hydrogen bonding between adjacent hydroxylgroups on separate fiber bundles. Suitable anti-blocking agents andmembers include, but are not limited, to silicon dioxide (SiO₂) polymer,talc, calcium carbonate and fumed hydrophilic SiO₂. Furthermore, it hasbeen found that the incorporation of a wetting agent within thepolyvinyl alcohol fiber or fabric is surprisingly useful for maximizingrate of absorbency of the article. Suitable wetting agents include, butare not limited to, fluorocarbons such as those offered by the MinnesotaMining and Manufacturing Co. sold under the trademark FC-171®.

The polymer for use herein is comprised of polyvinyl alcohol with orwithout acetyl groups, cross-linked or uncross-linked. The polyvinylalcohol be can be at least "partially" hydrolyzed, i.e., having greaterthan 80%, preferably greater than 90%, and even more preferably greaterthan 95%, but less than about 98% hydrolyzed acetyl groups. In a furtherembodiment, the polyvinyl alcohol can be "fully" hydrolyzed, i.e., hasgreater than 98%, and most preferably greater than 99% hydrolyzed acetylgroups.

To provide adequate mechanical strength, polyvinyl alcohol fibers shouldhave degree of polymerization of from about 300 to about 3000,preferably of from 700 to 2000, even more preferably from 1300 to 2000and most preferably of about 1700.

In producing polyvinyl alcohol resins from the saponification ofpolyvinyl acetate, impurities such as sodium acetate and sodium sulfatemay be found in the resin. To provide a superior fiber, such impuritiesshould be kept below 1/2% (wt.), more preferably below 1/4% (wt.) of thepolyvinyl alcohol resin. This can be accomplished with a methanol waterrinse or extraction.

It is often desirable that the fiber be colored with pigments or dyessuch as azo or anthraquinone molecules. Such pigments and dyes should beemployed in an amount between approximately 0.5 to 3.0% (wt.) based uponthe weight of the polymeric polyvinyl alcohol.

After producing the present mop head or rag according to the above-notedteachings, that is, from polyvinyl alcohol fibers that are soluble inwater only above 37° C., the mop heads and rags can be used in variouscleaning procedures. Subsequent to use, the mop heads or rags can bedisposed of by introduction into a washing machine for from between 5and 30 minutes at a temperature of above about 37° C. resulting in asubsequent solubilization of the mop head or rag. Preferably, thetemperature of the washing machine is above 95° C. for a period of timesufficient to disinfect any potentially harmful pathogens, etc. Thesolution produced is suitable for disposal in the standard sewer system.

The preferred embodiments of the above-described articles and methodsare set forth in the following examples. Other features of the inventionwill become apparent from the following examples, which are forillustrative purposes only and are not intended as a limitation upon thepresent invention.

EXAMPLE I

Tests were conducted to compare the absorption characteristics of mopheads produced pursuant to the present invention with conventional mopheads of rayon and cotton. Mop heads of polyvinyl alcohol of one-ply,two-ply and three-ply thermal bond construction as well as chemicalbonded fabric were examined. The various mops were weighed dry and werethen soaked in a fluid for five minutes and weighed. The mops were thenwrung to squeeze out absorbed fluid and then reweighed semi-dry. Theweight of fluid loss from squeezing was calculated by subtracting thesemi-dry weight from the wet weight and this was divided by the totalweight of wet pick-up and multiplied by 100 to achieve a percentage ofwater being squeezed from the wet mop head. The various mop heads werethen subjected to liquid and their ability to reabsorb liquid wasmeasured. As a result, the following data was generated:

    __________________________________________________________________________    Samples (wt. in gm)                                                                     1 ply                                                                              2 plies                                                                           3 plies                                                                            Rayon                                                                             Cotton                                                                             Chem bond                                    __________________________________________________________________________    ABSORB TEST                                                                   Dry weight(A)                                                                           5.17 8.38                                                                              10.48                                                                              13.38                                                                             13.7 4.07                                         Wet weight (B)                                                                          38.11                                                                              47.78                                                                             51.8 57.46                                                                             23.2 42.43                                        Wet pick-up                                                                             32.94                                                                              39.41                                                                             41.32                                                                              44.08                                                                             9.5  38.36                                        (C) = (B) - (A)                                                               % Wet pick-up                                                                           637  470 394  329 70   942                                          (C) × 100/(A)                                                           Semi-dry wt. after                                                                      11.56                                                                              19.72                                                                             25.05                                                                              24.76                                                                             3.48 29.39                                        wringing(E)                                                                   water out                                                                     (F) = (B) - (E)                                                               % of water out                                                                          80   71  64   56  37   76                                           (G) = (F) × 100/(C)                                                     REABSORBED TEST                                                               wet weight(H)                                                                           34.69                                                                              49.29                                                                             53.52                                                                              56.88                                                                             35.56                                                                              38.92                                        Reabsorbed fluid                                                                        23.13                                                                              29.57                                                                             28.47                                                                              24.18                                                                             15.84                                                                              25.88                                        (I) = (H) - (E)                                                               % of reabsorbed fluid                                                                   200  150 113  74  80   198                                          (J) = (I) × 100/(E)                                                     __________________________________________________________________________

From the above data, it is quite apparent that mop heads producedaccording to the present invention perform favorably when compared tocurrent commercially available products.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Otherembodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mop head comprising a plurality of fiberscomprised of polyvinyl alcohol that are only water soluble attemperatures above 37° C., wherein the fibers are formed into a mophead.
 2. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the polyvinyl alcoholcomprises crystallized polyvinyl alcohol.
 3. The mop head of claim 1,wherein the fibers are produced by dope extrusion and treatment withheat and stretching.
 4. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the polyvinylalcohol is a produced from a greater than 80% saponified polyvinylacetate.
 5. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol is aproduced from a greater than 98% saponified polyvinyl acetate.
 6. Themop head of claim 1, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol is a produced from agreater than 99% saponified polyvinyl acetate.
 7. The mop head of claim1, wherein the degree of polymerization of the fibers is from 300 to3000.
 8. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the degree of polymerizationof the fibers is from 700 to
 2000. 9. The mop head of claim 1, whereinthe degree of polymerization of the fibers is from 1300 to
 2000. 10. Themop head of claim 1, wherein the water content of the fibers ismaintained at from 1.5 to 15.0% by weight.
 11. The mop head of claim 1,further comprising from 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of an anti-blocking agent.12. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the fibers are yarn spun, thermallybonded, chemically bonded, needle punched, wet laid or air laid.
 13. Themop head of claim 1, wherein the fibers form a fabric of from 15 g/yd²to 100 g/yd² in weight.
 14. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the fibersform a fabric comprising from 10 to 50 layers affixed to one anotheralong the approximate mid-section of the fabric perpendicular to atleast one border thereof.
 15. The mop head of claim 14, wherein thelayers are cut to length on each side of said mid-section.
 16. The mophead of claim 15, wherein the layers are cut to 1" in length and from1/4" to 1" in width.
 17. The mop head of claim 1, further comprisingfrom 0.1 to 2.0% by weight of a wetting agent.
 18. The mop head of claim1, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of crystallinity of atleast 0.20.
 19. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the polyvinyl alcoholhas a degree of crystallinity of at least 0.40.
 20. The mop head ofclaim 1, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of crystallinity ofat least 0.70.
 21. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the polyvinylalcohol has a degree of orientation of at least 0.20.
 22. The mop headof claim 1, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of orientation ofat least 0.40.
 23. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the polyvinylalcohol has a degree of orientation of at least 0.50.
 24. The mop headof claim 1, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol is only water soluble attemperatures above 50° C.
 25. The mop head of claim 1, wherein thepolyvinyl alcohol is only water soluble at temperatures above 70° C. 26.The mop head of claim 1, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol is only watersoluble at temperatures above 90° C.
 27. A mop head comprising aplurality of fibers comprising crystallized polyvinyl alcohol that iswater soluble at temperatures only above 37° C., wherein the fibers areformed into a mop head and whereina) the polyvinyl alcohol fibers areproduced by dope extrusion and treatment with heat and stretching of agreater than 98% saponified polyvinyl acetate; and b) the degree ofpolymerization for the fibers is from 1300 to
 2000. 28. A mop headcomprising a plurality of fibers comprising crystallized polyvinylalcohol that is water soluble at temperatures only above 37° C., whereinthe fibers are formed into a mop head, an effective amount of ananti-blocking agent sufficient to increase the usability of the fibersand an effective amount of a wetting agent sufficient to increase theabsorbency of the fibers, whereina) the polyvinyl alcohol fibers areproduced by dope extrusion and treatment with heat and stretching of agreater than 98% saponified polyvinyl acetate; and b) the degree ofpolymerization for the fibers is from 1300 to
 2000. 29. A mop headcomprising a plurality of fibers comprising crystallized polyvinylalcohol that is water soluble at temperatures only above 37° C., whereinthe fibers are formed into a mop head, an effective amount of ananti-blocking agent sufficient to increase the usability, of the fibers,and an effective amount of a wetting agent sufficient to increase theabsorbency of the fibers.
 30. The mop head of claim 29, wherein thepolyvinyl alcohol fibers are produced by dope extrusion and treatmentwith heat and stretching of a greater than 98% saponified polyvinylacetate.
 31. The mop head of claim 29, wherein the degree ofpolymerization for the fibers is from 1300 to
 2000. 32. The mop head ofclaim 29, wherein the water content of the fibers is maintained at from1.5 to 15.0% by weight.